Why No Ambitious Chef Should Miss the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge

Competing in the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge has bigger results than simply setting the table with amazing dishes. It also can help place chefs with killer jobs.

Show ‘Em What You Got
    “As they compete, they do a lot of networking, by meeting the CMCs, CMPCs and chefs from other regions,” says Chef Dale Shigenaga, known as Chef Shag, the kitchen manager for the event. “Many have been offered jobs by their performance during the competitions.”
    “The Culinary Challenge started out with two separate competitions, a cold salon, and the hot food competition,” Shigenaga says. “Both categories are open to both junior chefs and professional chefs. The cold salon is a competition that consists of hot food displayed cold, either as separate entrees or buffet platters. There is also a pastry category, which consists of cake decoration, centerpieces and petit fours.”
    The hot food competition is held for individuals or three-man teams, with each participant or team producing four signature dishes within one hour. Specific categories are offered, such as fish, poultry, lamb, etc. Also, pastry categories include cake decoration, cold desserts and hot/warm desserts.
    “During the past two years we have added a Master Pastry Centerpiece and a Fruit/Vegetable Carving category,” Shigenaga says. “ In the future we plan on having an ice carving competition.”
    “We provide the kitchens; (entrants) bring their own ingredients,” says Lorri Davidson, a member of the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge committee. “They submit a recipe and a photograph of the finished dish, prior to the event. They come in, and they need to fabricate that dish.”
    The American Culinary Federation’s rules and guidelines govern the proceedings, as chefs compete for the points, and, consequently, medals. Awards go to Restaurant of the Year, Employee of the Year, Purveyor of the Year and Chef of the Year.

Meeting the Master Chefs
    Competitors come for the event from all over the country, and for good reason.
    “One of the things is we have very excellent judges,” Davidson says. “If someone is a certified Master Chef, there are only about 70 master chefs in the United States. We usually have four or five of them as judges each year.
    “The real benefit of the participants, besides the opportunity to win, is to have these (chefs) critique. They will take the time with each participant who asks them to say ‘This is what I would have done differently. This is what you did that I really liked,’ after the judging is over. You should see the faces of these (competing) chefs; they are kind of in awe of these guys. They really value that.”
“By competing, the competitors gain an advantage over their peers,” Shigenaga says.
    “It is said that by competing, one gains about six years of culinary knowledge. To be certified by the ACF, competition points must be submitted. We are the only western region state that offers a hot food competition, and one of three cold salons.”
    Let the prepping begin!